Nissan Juke-R 2.0 Concept revealed

by Bob Nagy | June 26, 2015 12:32 PM

Teased two weeks ago wearing a "Juke-R Nismo" badge, the latest one-off edition of Nissan's subcompact crossover appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England as the Juke-R 2.0 Concept. Although there was no explanation for this abrupt name change, one look at the finished product and it's clear that nothing was lost in translation. Boasting a harder and edgier look than the original Juke-R that roared to life at the end of 2011, the Juke-R 2.0 Concept also gets a power upgrade. It packs the same 600-horsepower 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 from the latest Nissan GT-R Nismo model in place of the 530-horse version used in its predecessor.

Still based on a production Juke - but in this case the restyled version that first appeared in 2014 - the new Juke-R 2.0 features more aggressive front and rear fascias rendered in full carbon fiber that also incorporate the latest Juke headlight/taillamp designs. The bare carbon fiber hood vents on the Juke-R 2.0 are repositioned to afford better cooling while bolder composite fender arches blend with revised side sills. Finished in matte black, this sinister Nissan nightmare machine also wears the latest iteration of 20-inch RAYS light-alloy wheels from the GT-R which are wrapped in sticky Bridgestone RE070R Potenza performance tires and possesses superb stopping power thanks to its oversized Brembo brakes.

"The Juke-R has become an iconic crossover supercar, and with the launch of the latest Juke model last year, it was the natural choice to upgrade the original Juke-R with added power and even bolder styling," said Gareth Dunsmore, Marketing Communications general manager for Nissan Europe. No word as to whether the new Juke-R 2.0 Concept will become a limited-production model, but this one-off will be put through its paces at speed on Goodwood's Hillclimb course at the hand of Nissan GT Academy graduate and Le Mans 24 Hour driver Jann Mardenborough.